🛣️ The four streets
preflop, flop, turn, river
A hand of Hold’em unfolds over four betting rounds, called streets: preflop, the flop, the turn, and the river. Cards are revealed between them, so your hand’s strength — and your read on everyone else’s — changes at each stage. This lesson walks the arc of a full hand.
A hand of Hold’em is a story told in four chapters — poker players call them streets. There’s a round of betting on every one.
Preflop: you’ve seen only your two hole cards. Flop: three community cards land at once — the biggest single reveal in the hand. Turn: a fourth card, and bets typically get bigger. River: the fifth and final card; no more cards are coming, only decisions.
If two or more players survive the river betting, it’s showdown: hands are revealed and the ladder from lesson 2 settles it. If at any point one bet goes uncalled — the hand simply ends, cards unshown, pot shipped.
💡 Key idea: most hands never reach showdown. The streets in between are where the game is actually played.
Preflop, you act on just your two cards. The flop reveals three community cards at once — the biggest information jump in the hand, where most of your final value is decided. The turn and river add one card each, and the bets typically get larger as the pot grows and hands become more defined.
The practical takeaway is that decisions get more expensive and more certain as you go. A cheap mistake preflop is survivable; a big call on the river with a weak hand is how stacks disappear. Good players think one street ahead: “if I bet now and get raised, what’s my plan on the turn?” Planning the whole hand beats reacting one card at a time.
Questions
What are the four streets in poker?
Preflop (before any community cards), the flop (first three community cards), the turn (fourth card), and the river (fifth and final card). There’s a round of betting on each.
What is the flop in Texas Hold’em?
The flop is the first three community cards, dealt face-up all at once after the preflop betting round. It’s the moment your two cards combine with the board for the first time.